Hypothermic
by Meegs82
Summary: A B&B fic with a little Angela thrown in. This takes place postMistletoe kiss. Angst, fluff, drama, and some bickering.
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

"It's freezing. Can't you turn the car on for a few minutes?" Brennan whined, her voice muffled as she spoke through her scarf, huddling in the passenger seat of the SUV.

"This is a stakeout, Bones. Turning the car on is completely counterintuitive," Booth replied, looking to her and then past her as he raised a pair of binoculars to his face.

Brennan rolled her eyes and clasped her gloved hands together. "How long have we been here anyway?" she inquired, holding her watch up to somehow try to read the numbers. She reached for the light above her, but Booth swatted her hand away.

"What did I just say?" Booth asked, staring at her in disbelief.

Brennan's face contorted and she snarled. "You sure are…bossy," she replied, unintelligently.

"I'm in charge of this stakeout, so I'll be bossy if I want to," Booth replied, emphatically.

Brennan continued to sneer at him, her eyes narrowed and her lips slightly scrunched together. But she didn't speak and instead, leaned back in the seat as she wrapped her scarf more tightly around her.

And so they sat, silent, for the next 10 minutes. They were somewhere between Washington, D.C. and Arlington, Virginia, out in the middle of nowhere. A single farm house was the only structure for miles. The SUV was parked at a safe distance so as not to arouse suspicion. Brennan sat, freezing, as she kept her eyes on the house. A small, frozen lake stretched out to the side of the house, a stone bridge spreading across it. It seemed to be the only way from the house to reach the pastures where (from what Brennan could make out in the dark) several dark figures shifted. She could only assume that the figures were cattle.

Another 10 minutes passed and still nothing. Brennan's scarf was now wrapped securely around her head and her rather red nose poked out from just beneath it.

"How is it that you aren't cold?" Brennan asked Booth, this time nearly inaudible.

"Blah, blah, blah, what?" Booth asked, his face scrunched.

Brennan pulled the scarf down as she rolled her eyes. "Why aren't you cold?" she asked again, her eyes wide in irritation at having to repeat herself.

"I am cold, Bones, I'm just not as vocal about it as you are…clearly," Booth replied, bringing the binoculars back to his eyes.

Brennan sighed. "How do we even know that this guy is going to come back here tonight?" Brennan asked, pursing her lips in annoyance.

"Because, if he returns to the scene of the crime before that check is deposited, then we'll know it's him. He has to come back before 7 in the morning or else he's not our guy…and that's nearly impossible since all of the evidence points to him," Booth explained as though Brennan hadn't the faintest idea what their current case entailed.

Brennan stared at him for a moment. "You could have at least brought a portable generator," she responded, irritated.

It was now Booth's turn to roll his eyes. "Why do I have to think of everything? Why didn't you bring one?" he retorted, looking directly at her.

"Because I had no idea we were going to be sitting in your car for 4 hours at 5 degree temperatures!" Brennan replied, her eyes widening and her voice rising.

"It's not 5 degrees-" Booth began.

"Yes, it is! I looked at the car's temperature gauge before you turned it off," she shot back.

"Bones, it's not like you're going to freeze to death," Booth replied, smirking slightly. "You're the scientist, you should know that," he added, smugly.

"Yes, Booth, I know that. But feel my hands," Brennan replied as she ripped off one glove and placed it against Booth's cheek.

Booth jerked at her touch. "Geez, Bones, are your hands like…dead?" Booth asked, his face scrunched again as he smacked her hand away for the second time.

"That's not even scientifically possible," she replied, putting her glove back on.

"Obviously, Bones, I just meant…no, you know what, nevermind," Booth replied as the binoculars returned to their previous spot.

Brennan didn't reply. Instead, she leaned forward slowly and tilted her head so that she was in Booth's direct eyeline.

Brennan's face appeared suddenly and Booth was taken aback at the intense magnification as he pulled his head away from the binoculars.

"What, are you trying to ruin this?" Booth inquired, his jaw clenched and his eyes set intensely on Brennan.

She glared at him without uttering a word. Her face did all the talking.

"Fine, I get it. You're cold and you're miserable. Yeah well, me too. Here, feel MY hands," Booth shot back as both of his hands flew to her cheek.

She too jerked away from his touch. "Okay, okay, I take your point. We're both cold and we're both miserable. So, why don't we stop talking about it, right?" Brennan replied, looking to Booth for approval of her perception of the situation.

"Exactly. See, Bones, you ARE intuitive," Booth replied, smiling sarcastically as he raised the binoculars. Before he could reach his eyes, Brennan snatched them away. "Hey!"

"What, I don't get to look too?" she asked, looking to him and then back through the binoculars. She could see the farm house up closely now. There was a front porch light on, but the rest of the house was dark. She could see the lake and the bridge better from the illumination.

Just as she was about to give the binoculars back to Booth, she saw a pair of headlights.

"Booth! Someone's coming!" she exclaimed as she hit Booth on the knee.

Booth grabbed the binoculars from her. He could make out a car pulling into the gravel driveway.

"That's the Jeep," Booth informed her as he watched a rather tall and gangly man step out of the car. "And that's Johansson. He's back. Told ya, Bones," Booth said with an all-knowing smirk. He still had the binoculars glued to his face, which was clearly irritating Brennan.

"Booth, let me see," she said, reaching for the binoculars.

"Hang on a second, Bones," he replied, pushing her hand away as he continued to stare at "Johansson." "He's getting something out of the back. Wait…it's a rifle. Same one police released from evidence. Alright, listen," Booth began as he pulled the binoculars away. "You stay here-"

"Are you kidding? You really expect me to-" she began to protest, her eyes wide.

"Just stay here until you see me take him down. Then, you can move in as my backup," Booth instructed as he reached for his gun.

"Booth! Why would I-"

"Because we know how he works! If he sees both of us, he will shoot you! He strikes by taking the most important things from his victims. Since I have the gun, he'll aim at you," Booth yelled, nearly losing his temper out right.

Brennan stared wide-eyed at Booth for a long moment. She understood. "Okay," she replied, simply.

Booth stared at her intently as he opened the door. "Not a single movement until he is down," Booth reiterated, a severe and concerned look on his face.

Brennan nodded.

Booth took another look at her and then left the car, shutting the door gently behind him.

She watched him scurry across the deserted 2-lane highway, gun in hand. She picked up the binoculars and looked for Johansson, who was just shutting the tailgate to the Jeep. She watched his body turn suddenly towards Booth and she knew that Booth must have said something to him. The two men were still approximately 20 yards apart and she glanced back and forth between them with the binoculars. She could not, for the life of her, tell what was going on. They were obviously talking, but Johansson was not relinquishing his rifle as Booth closed in on him.

"Come on, Booth. Take him down," Brennan said aloud, the binoculars still attached to her face.

Booth was now a mere 12 or so yards from Johansson. Brennan felt helpless. She had to do something. I should have brought my gun was all she could think. Then this situation would be much different. But no, she had listened to Booth who had told her that she wouldn't need it.

A split second later, Johansson took off towards the pastures and Booth took off after him.

That was it, Brennan could NOT just sit there. She dropped the binoculars and hurried out of the car and across the highway. She tried to keep an eye on Johansson and on Booth, but the night was deeply dark and it was difficult. She followed in the general direction of where she had seen the two men disappear, but it wasn't until she heard a loud noise that she stopped in her tracks and narrowed her eyes, squinting to see where the noise had come from. It had almost sounded like…water? The lake? In the distance along the horizon, she could make out a tall figure running in the opposite direction. But there was only one tall figure and it was far too gangly to be Booth's.

A horrible feeling overcame her and suddenly, she yelled, "Booth!" And there was no answer. She could barely see 5 feet in front of her, but she continued walking and she yelled again, "Booth!" After a few more seconds, she could see the stone bridge. It was a few yards in front of her and she hurried to it. She stood in the middle of the bridge and glanced below her on one side.

Frantically, she looked and listened, but didn't see or hear anything. She turned to the other side and it was then and there that she saw what she had been afraid of seeing: a hole in the ice.

"Booth!" she yelled again as she hurried, nearly slipping, off the bridge and to the edge of the lake. She stared anxiously at the hole in the ice. The water was rippling, but nothing was re-surfacing. She knew she only had a matter of seconds to pull him out. She knelt on the snowy bank and threw her arms into the water, reaching as far down as she could, hoping to grasp hold of him. But she felt nothing but cold water.

Tears began forming in her eyes as she tried frantically to reach him. There was only one thing left to do and before she could even blink back the tears, she plunged into the icy water, sending all of her nerve endings a dangerous message. She opened her eyes and looked below her to see his face, his eyes closed. Within a millisecond, she had him in her grasp and she pulled him to the surface.

She gasped as she came out of the water, the iciness taking her breath away. She was drenched and freezing, but she didn't care. She was able to pull Booth out of the water and heave him up onto the bank after 2 tries. He lay there, limp, not moving a muscle.

"Booth! Come on, Booth!" she yelled, tears now flowing freely as she leaned over him and pressed her index and middle fingers against his jugular. Nothing. She knew she couldn't start CPR until she was absolutely certain that he did or didn't have a pulse. Otherwise, his heart could stop from the chest compressions. As she went to check again, she noticed the snow beneath him was beginning to turn red.

"Oh God…" Brennan whispered above the tears as she shifted Booth's head slightly to the side only to reveal blood stained hair. She pressed against the back of his head to see how quickly the blood was flowing. To her relief, the blood merely trickled from the site of the gash and she concluded that the wound was superficial.

Shivering, she returned to the more immediate issue. She pressed on his neck once again. After a couple of seconds, she felt a pulse. It was slow and faint, but it was there. Upon the realization of the fact that he was in fact alive, Brennan immediately began chest compressions.

"1…2…3…" Brennan counted aloud, the salty tears spilling as she pushed on his chest. After a count of three, she leaned in, pinched his nose, and touched her lips to his, blowing air into his windpipe. She then leaned her ear to his mouth to listen for breath sounds…and she heard nothing.

"1…2…3…" she repeated her counting and her actions again…and again, there was nothing. He lay there, motionless. She knew that he was hypothermic and she knew that if she didn't get him out of his wet clothes soon, his body temperature could reach critical levels. But she had to get him to breathe first.

"1…2…3…" she cried as she blew warm breath into his mouth. "Please, Booth…" she whispered, pressing against his chest again.

"Please…you can't leave…"


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

She felt like she was pounding on his chest. It had been maybe 3 minutes, but it felt like an eternity. Her fingers were like icicles and she yanked her gloves off. The tears and despair threatened to overtake her senses, but she pushed them back, knowing full well that she couldn't break down…not now. He needed her. He had never let her down and she was not about to let HIM down.

After a 5 second break from administering CPR, Brennan resumed compressions and after another 5 seconds, Booth's eyes flew open as he gasped for air.

"Booth!" Brennan cried as she pressed gently against him. "You shouldn't get up quickly. Your body needs to be rewarmed. Can you feel your legs?" Brennan asked.

Booth's eyes fluttered shut and then open again as he attempted to comprehend what his partner had just said to him. Something about his legs?

"Yeah…" he replied weakly.

"Okay, I need for you to try to stand. I'm going to help you, but you are going to have to try as hard as you can. Can you understand me, Booth?" Brennan asked, leaning over him.

"Yeah…warm…" he began to say.

"What?" Brennan asked.

"Warm. I feel…warm," Booth repeated.

Brennan's face fell. She had revived him, but if he was feeling warm, then it could only mean that his body temperature was dropping as he slipped into the second stage of hypothermia. She had to get him out of the cold…and fast.

"We need to get you inside. Are you ready? On three," Brennan held onto his left arm as she bent over him. "1…2…3," Brennan said as she and Booth both pushed off the ground. Brennan took the brunt of his weight as they staggered towards the house.

After a few steps, Booth began to shiver and he stumbled to the ground bringing Brennan down with him. As he hit the snow, his body began to shudder violently. He tried to speak, but his teeth were chattering so much that it was useless.

Brennan rolled over and picked herself up. She too was shivering, but not nearly to the extent that Booth was.

"Booth, we have to keep moving. You have to get out of those wet clothes and get dry. Otherwise you could slip into a coma," Brennan explained as she tried to grab hold of him and pull him up. "Please, Booth," Brennan pleaded as the tears returned. Desperately, she did what she could to make things easier as she began removing his heavy coat. She maneuvered him to each side as she pulled his arms out of the sleeves. After the coat was off, she stared down at his convulsing body and she felt like her world was being taken away from her. No, she couldn't let him go. Her lips pursed together and suddenly, she slapped him across the face.

He flinched and tried to speak again, "Wha…?"

"Get up! I am not leaving you here! Get up!" Brennan demanded as she leaned down again to hoist him up, the tears nearly choking her.

Booth wasn't cold, but he couldn't stop shivering. And he couldn't help but think that this was it, he was going to die. He was going to die and Bones was going to see it. As the thought sunk in, his resolve returned. No way was he going to let that happen.

"O-o-k-a-a-y, B-b-b-o-n-n-e-s," Booth chattered.

A small, strained smile found its way to Brennan's tear stained face. And with another count of three, the two of them hoisted Booth back up on his feet. They staggered the remaining 10 yards and Brennan found the doorknob and turned, both relieved and surprised that it was unlocked.

With Booth resting on her, Brennan found the light switch in the entryway. The illumination revealed a hall and an open arch to a den, complete with sofa and chairs.

"In here," Brennan said as she guided Booth towards the small den.

They stumbled to the sofa and Brennan let him flop to the cushions. He was still shaking just as violently and as Brennan looked at him, she noticed that his lips were pale and puffy.

"We need to rewarm your body, but gradually. You need to get out of your clothes, the wetness is only making it worse," Brennan informed him.

He looked at her as his body continued to tremble. He could barely move, let alone use any kind of muscle power to remove his clothing.

Brennan was fully aware of this as she kneeled on the floor next to him and first reached down to the bottom of his cotton sweater. Since they had been on a stakeout, he had not worn a suit. Hastily, but gently, she pulled the sweater and his undershirt up towards his head as he continued to quiver and shake. She guided each arm out of each sleeve and then pulled the sweater and undershirt over his head and threw it to the floor, leaving him bare-chested. As he lay there, she looked at him, not thinking twice about what she was about to do because it was necessary to save his life. She found the button to his pants and undid it before unzipping them. They clung to his legs and she struggled to get them off. She pulled his boxers off with the pants and then removed his socks.

She placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "I'm going to find some blankets, hopefully a sleeping bag, that would be best. Are you okay?" Brennan asked.

Booth managed to nod through his convulsions.

Brennan stood, still shivering herself, and glanced around the room. There wasn't a blanket in sight. She kept an eye on Booth as she walked into the entryway. There was a closet to the right of the front door. She opened it quickly and looked inside. Nothing. There was a set of stairs just through the entryway and she ran up them, opening the first closet she came across at the top of the stairs. Winter coats and snow boots were in abundance and she looked up high and found 2 blankets and the best part, a sleeping bag. She grabbed 1 of the blankets and the sleeping bag and headed back downstairs.

Booth had curled up into a fetal position when she returned.

"Okay, I found them," Brennan announced. She first placed the blanket on top of Booth. "Here. This will help," she said as she wrapped him up, tucking the edges around him. She then grabbed the sleeping bag and unzipped it completely, laying it out on the floor. "Booth, I need you to move to the floor. Here, I'll help," she instructed gently as Booth tried to move on his own. But she was right there beside him and she took his arm and helped lower him to the floor and on top of the sleeping bag. The blanket slipped as he moved and he tried to grab onto it, but his fingers would not work. He could barely move them, they were so numb. Brennan took the blanket and returned it to his fingers and he slowly grasped on.

"Just lie there, okay? This is the best way to return your body to normal temperature," Brennan explained as she discarded her coat and scarf on the floor. She quickly removed her shirt and bra and then unclasped her necklace and dropped it. Her pants and underwear followed.

Booth laid there, his eyes half closed as he shivered. He didn't know what to feel, he was so…he couldn't even begin to think about how he felt. He wasn't cold and he wasn't warm…he was just shaking and unable to stop.

Brennan knelt on top of the sleeping bag and reached down to the bottom and began zipping it. As she reached her side of the bag, she crawled in next to Booth, removing the blanket and tossing it aside. She finished zipping the bag and turned to him, her eyes wet with tears.

As she slid in and pressed her body against his, he felt a tingling sensation. He didn't know if it was from the feeling of her skin on his or from his uncontrollable tremors, but something about it felt good. He knew that he was safe and he knew that she was there for him and now he could feel the warmth of her body.

"Here, put your arms around me," she whispered gently as she helped him place his left arm in the small of her back. "Squeeze, Booth. It will help with circulation," she instructed him softly.

He squeezed ever so slightly and she knew that that was all his muscles were capable of. But at least they were capable of something. That meant that his brain hadn't been affected.

"H-h-e-a-d-d…h-h-u-r-t-s-s," Booth stammered as if just now realizing it.

"I know, you have a gash, but it's superficial. No time to clean it. It knocked you unconscious," Brennan replied.

Their noses were touching and her breath was warm on his face. He continued to squeeze her as much as he could as she wrapped her right leg around his hips and thighs, pressing up against him to give him as much of her body heat as possible. She snaked her right arm around his midsection and pressed down on his back, pulling him closer to her.

"You're going to be fine, okay? You just need to…rewarm. Booth, do you hear me?" she asked, a quiver in her voice.

Booth looked into her eyes as he shook and he nodded.

A tear streamed down her cheek. She looked at his lips again. They were still puffy and were now a faint tinge of blue.

"Can you feel your lips?" she asked.

He shook his head, but with the rest of his body shaking, it didn't make a difference. So, he spoke, "N-n-o."

She looked into his eyes for a moment before turning her gaze on his lips.

"This will help," she said as she closed the millimeter gap between them and pressed her lips gently against his. Her eyes closed as she kissed him.

His eyes closed too and he tried to kiss her back. But his lips wouldn't work, so he let her kiss him and as he focused on how soft her lips were, his body began to calm a bit.

After a long while, she pulled away and opened her eyes. "Better?" she asked.

Booth's eyes opened again and he nodded. "Y-y-e-a-h," he replied.

"Your body is calming down. That's a good sign. I'm fairly sure you are in stage 2 hypothermia, but now that your trembling is letting up-" but she couldn't finish.

Booth regained use of his lips as they brushed against hers tenderly. Her eyes fluttered shut and she pressed herself into him, her heart beating against his. Slowly, Booth moved his lips to kiss her deeper and a surge of electricity went coursing through her body, causing her to tremble now. He pressed his hand against her back and pulled her closer to him and her breath caught in her throat. Now he knew that the tingling sensation hadn't been due to his hypothermia. It was all her.

Booth continued to quiver slightly as the need for oxygen became too great and he broke away from her lips. He opened his eyes only to see her eyes still closed and her lips reaching for more.

Her eyes fluttered open when she didn't feel his lips. She found him staring at her and she felt his hand stroking her back. Muscle control…that was a good thing. She felt his body continue to calm and he appeared to become more alert as he blinked a few times without keeping his eyes shut for too long. She was unable to take her eyes off of him. His eyes were always comforting and as they lay, he gazed at her and she felt an overwhelming sense of belonging. She had never really felt that before…at least not for a long long time. She had been on her own for 16 years and she had never considered that she belonged anywhere…except maybe for the Jeffersonian. But right here and right now, she felt that she belonged in his arms…she belonged to him. It had crossed her mind in the recent months that her feelings for him had changed, but it hadn't been confirmed until this moment. All of her senses were overtaken and her mind finally caught up with her heart…and it scared her.

Her eyes darted away from Booth's, but she did not pull away because quite frankly, she couldn't move.

"I need to check your pulse," Brennan said as she removed her arm from his midsection and placed her index and middle fingers on his neck. He lay there, just gazing at her as she felt for his jugular. "It's still slow, but that's normal. It's a good sign that your heart rate isn't rapid," she explained, only glancing at him for a moment, yet returning her arm to his back to continue to warm his body.

He felt warm. But this warm was different from any other warm he had experienced before. This was the most wonderful warm and he knew it was all because of her. She had just saved his life without a second thought. He was alive because of her and now as she lay there, wrapped in his arms, all he wanted to do was hold on forever. The warmth of her breath blew across his face as she glanced away from his eyes yet again. He could feel her hesitation in looking at him and he wanted to fix it, so he said the only thing that he could think of.

"I l-l-ove you," he whispered, still shaking slightly as he resumed the stroking of her back.

Her eyes immediately met his. But instead of happiness or even confusion, a look of worry covered her face.

"Oh, no. Delirium…that's stage 3 of hypothermia. But I don't understand, your tremors are lessening and your body is warming. Your lips have returned to normal and-"

His now normal lips were on hers once again. With a soft brush, he left her speechless and as he broke away, her lips remained parted and she looked stunned.

"N-n-o, Bones. I'm n-n-ot d-d-elirious…I'm in love w-with you," he told her, a soft look on his face. "Have b-b-een for a w-while."

She stared at him, unsure of what to say. She was flustered and normally, when she was flustered, she brushed him off and retreated to her office. But she couldn't escape this. She was literally nose to nose with him and she couldn't move…she didn't really WANT to move.

"I-I don't…understand," Brennan stuttered as she evaded his eye contact.

"Y-y-es you do, Bones. You just p-p-retend not to," Booth said softly so as not to offend her. That was the last thing he wanted.

She brought her eyes back to his and the classic Brennan look that Booth knew and loved blanketed her face. She was deep in thought and he could tell.

"H-how do you know?" she asked, her heart now beating more rapidly.

"Because…I've been d-doing it, t-t-oo," he revealed, still not taking his eyes off of her.

She stared at him, a battle dwelling within her. Did she really know how she truly felt? Yes, she did. Was she able to admit it? No, she wasn't. It was brand new territory for her…love…and she had no idea how to handle it. Right now was not the best time to start to understand, either, seeing as how they were lying naked in a sleeping bag together…and that was too much in itself. She glanced away as she loosened her grip on him, not letting go completely.

"You should rest, try to get some sleep. In a couple of hours, we can get you to a hospital," Brennan replied, her jaw shifting and her eyes darting.

Booth simply smiled softly. He had tried and he could see that she wasn't ready. He hadn't known that he was ready to fess up, but apparently, a near-death experience had confirmed it for him. He could wait…and he had a feeling that it wouldn't be too long.

"Okay, B-bones," and with that, he kissed her softly on the tip of the nose and squeezed her gently, closing his eyes as he did.

Brennan's first thought was that people really do kiss on the nose. She re-tightened her grip as she gazed at him. Part of her wanted to flee, run to her office. She couldn't deal with being this close to him, she just didn't know how to do it. What she didn't truly realize was that she had been that close to him for a while now. And so she lay, immersed in her own thought process as she felt Booth's breathing change and she knew he was asleep. She didn't care if she didn't sleep, he was what was important.

She tried once again to blame his comments on delirium, but she realized quickly that that was not rational. His argument had been, quite frankly, crystal clear. And it was this that kept her awake for the next few hours…


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

Booth awoke to the sound of a car engine and no Brennan next to him. It took him a moment to get oriented, but once he was, he was back in FBI mode. He grabbed the blanket and jumped out of the sleeping bag, wrapping the blanket around him. He saw that it was still dark outside and the headlights from the car were peeking in through the windows. He slowly headed toward the door, not knowing quite what to do since he was in fact, naked. But there was no sign of Bones and there was a mysterious car outside and his instincts went into overdrive. As he was nearing the front door, the engine was cut and the lights went out. He crept behind a wall, out of sight of the entryway. He heard footsteps approach and then the door opened.

He jumped out from behind the wall and yelled, hoping to scare the intruder.

Brennan's heart jumped out of her chest and she nearly fell back.

"Booth! What are you doing?" she asked as she shut the door.

Booth smiled awkwardly. "Sorry. Didn't know where you were and…thought you might be Johansson," he replied, grasping onto the blanket which was covering only his bottom half. He smiled crookedly once more.

Brennan sighed. "You scared me. I was bringing the car up. I was getting ready to wake you, we need to get you to a hospital," Brennan replied as she walked past him and to the sofa. "Here, I found some clothes upstairs for you to put on," she said as she picked up a folded pair of khakis, a sweater, and a pair of boxers and attempted to hand them to Booth, who couldn't quite grip them seeing as how he was holding a blanket over his…well, he didn't want to drop it.

Brennan glanced at him awkwardly. "Right, well, I'll leave them here," she said, setting the clothes back down on the couch. "How do you feel?" she asked, walking to him and taking hold of his head to get a better look at the gash.

"Ow! Geez, Bones, easy there. I feel fine. I don't need to go to the hospital, we have to try and find Johansson," Booth replied, attempting to duck out from her grasp, but she tried harder and grabbed him once more.

"Yes, you do. You may feel fine, but your vitals need to be monitored for the next 6 hours or so," Brennan replied, letting go of his head and taking a step away.

"What time is it, anyway?" Booth asked as he gently touched the back of his head, at which point he grimaced in pain.

"It's just after 5:00 am," Brennan replied. "You slept for nearly 4 hours, which is good."

"Good, I got some sleep, so why do I need to go to a hospital?" Booth inquired, still standing with his hand on the blanket.

Brennan rolled her eyes. "Will you just trust me? Get dressed, we need to go," Brennan demanded as she folded her arms across her chest.

Considering she had just saved his life, Booth decided not to argue. "Yeah, okay," he replied as he stepped to the couch and grabbed the pair of boxers, still clutching to the blanket.

Brennan stayed in her place, arms still crossed.

Booth looked to her. "Do you mind?" he asked, indicating the blanket and the clothes.

"Right, sorry," Brennan replied as she turned around with her back to him, sighing and rolling her eyes at herself as she did so.

"Thank you," Booth said.

A few moments passed in silence before Brennan spoke.

"So, do you…uh, what all do you…remember. I mean, before and after you fell…in the…lake," Brennan sputtered, her back still turned. She wanted to know if he remembered what he had said. Even though she didn't truly believe he had been delirious, it was still possible that he didn't remember. Hypothermic victims quite often forget certain moments…she was hoping that "the moment" was one of them.

Booth half-smiled to himself as he pulled the sweater over his head. He paused a moment before deciding to go easy on her…she still needed time.

"Not much, actually. I mean, I remember slipping on the ice and hitting my head…but everything after that is kind of a blur," he lied through his teeth, smiling at her back.

Brennan let out her breath. "Oh, okay. I just…need to gauge your…mental status. It will help the doctors, so…that's why I asked," Brennan stammered, her back still to him.

"Right, I understand," Booth replied. He was now fully dressed, but he didn't let her know that and he continued to watch her.

After about 10 silent seconds, Brennan spoke. "Are you ready yet?" she asked, irritated.

"Yeah, all dressed," he replied.

Brennan spun around. "Good. Let's go," she replied as she started for the door.

Booth watched her without moving and another small smile found its way to his lips. She sure was cute when she was flustered. He followed her to the car and got in the passenger seat without a fuss. She clearly wanted to drive and he still felt a little dizzy. He reveled in the silence that engulfed the SUV and simply sat, thinking about all of the things he could now do that would drive her crazy…ways to let her know he truly did remember, but without actually telling her. Oh, this was going to be fun.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

"You two were naked? With each other?" Angela asked, her mouth agape and her eyes as wide as they could be.

"It was necessary, Ang. He would have died. I needed to reheat his body and the best way to do that-" she began, logically.

"…Is to transfer body heat, yeah I know. So, he's alright then?" she asked, concerned.

"Yes. He's at Georgetown Hospital. He's going to be fine, but they need to monitor him for the next 6 hours," Brennan replied, sighing in relief.

"You saved his life, Bren," Angela stated simply.

"Yeah, well…he's saved mine more than once…" she replied, her voice trailing off as she glanced down at the floor.

She and Angela sat on the sofa in her office. It was nearly 8:00 and she had arrived at the Jeffersonian about a half hour earlier, not wanting to go back home because she knew she wouldn't sleep. She had gotten Booth checked into the hospital without complaints from him, much to her surprise. The doctors had said that he would be fine and discharged before the day was over.

"So, what was it like being that…close to him?" Angela asked, a mischievous smile on her face.

"Ang! I had no other choice. He had a window of only minutes and I…he was…shivering and so…cold…he wouldn't have…" Brennan began and as she spoke, tears came to her eyes.

Angela's smile vanished when she saw just how shaken up her best friend was.

"Sweetie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean…I'm just glad you're both okay," Angela replied as she reached forward and squeezed Brennan on the shoulder.

Brennan looked at Angela, a pair of tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Thanks, Ang," Brennan finally said.

"You should go home and get some sleep. Tell Cam what happened, I'm sure she won't mind," Angela told her friend, hoping that she would take her up on the offer.

"I'm not tired," Brennan replied.

Nope, no luck on that one Angela thought to herself.

"Fine, but at least try to take it easy today. You said they have another agent on the Johansson case, right?" Angela asked.

"Yes. Booth wasn't very happy about that," Brennan replied.

"Yeah, well, he'll have to get over it. He's lucky to even be alive," Angela replied as she rose from the sofa. "I'll get out of your way so you can rest," she added and began to walk out of the office.

Brennan wiped the tears from her cheeks and made the decision to talk to Angela.

"Ang, wait," she said, closing her eyes and sighing.

Angela turned back around and she saw something in Brennan's eyes and she became concerned.

"There's more, isn't there?" she asked, her intuition alarm blaring.

Brennan clenched her jaw. "Yes. He…he told me…I can't believe I'm telling you this," Brennan stuttered, looking up at the ceiling.

"You tell me everything…or at least you should. Spill," Angela replied.

Brennan looked her in the eyes. "He told me he was in love with me," she said bluntly.

Angela's eyes widened yet again. "WHAT?!" she screamed.

"Well, he was in stage 2 hypothermia and it is highly possible that he was delirious. But then again, he argued his reasoning clearly and now he says he doesn't remember anything after he fell into the lake," Brennan responded quickly.

"Well, what did YOU do when he said it?" Angela asked, sitting back on the sofa with Brennan.

"I…said…I didn't understand and he told me that I really did and that I was only pretending and I asked him how he knew and he said because he's been pretending too. I have no idea what to make of all that," Brennan replied, looking to her friend with pleading eyes.

Angela smiled softly at her friend.

"Do you love him back?" Angela asked, knowing full well what the answer was and also knowing how Brennan would respond.

"What? I…care about him. But love, Ang, it's a chemical reaction caused by-"

"Do not give me your neurotransmitter speech about love," Angela demanded and Brennan was slightly taken aback. "Do you love Russ?" Angela asked abruptly.

Brennan's face scrunched. "What? Of course I do," she replied without hesitation.

"Did you love your mother?" Angela asked.

Brennan narrowed her eyes. "Yes, Angela. What are you doing?" Brennan asked, quite confused.

"Do you love me?" Angela asked.

"Yes, Ang, but-"

"Then what's the difference? Isn't that a chemical reaction caused by blah blah blah? You love Russ, you love your mother, and you love me. How can you say that you only 'care' about Booth? What about the mistletoe kiss?" Angela asked, a smirk on her face.

"That was different. Caroline blackmailed me," Brennan explained.

"And you didn't feel ANYthing?" Angela asked.

Brennan's eyes flashed with uncertainty.

"No. It was like kissing my brother," Brennan replied, using the same excuse she had used at the time the kiss had happened.

"And you love your brother, right?" Angela inquired, now quite sure that she had Brennan's rationale all mixed up.

"What? Angela, you're not making any sense," Brennan replied.

"Exactly. Love doesn't make sense. It's crazy and it's unbelievable and it's a freaking rollercoaster. And obviously there IS a difference between the types of love, BUT…only one kind of love can make you do crazy things you could never see yourself doing. Like allowing yourself to be blackmailed into kissing under the mistletoe. You know Booth could have talked to Caroline, but you let it happen. Have you asked yourself why yet?" Angela replied, her smile even bigger.

"Caroline can be very…bossy. And I was doing it for my family," Brennan replied, attempting to regain her composure and failing.

"I just want you to be happy, Bren. And if Booth is the answer to your happiness, then I think you should go for it. But hey, that's just me," Angela replied, rising from the sofa.

"Well, wait. So, what do I do?" Brennan asked, following Angela in standing.

Angela smiled at her best friend's inability to understand the concept.

"Feel. That's it. No brain involvement allowed. Let your heart do everything," Angela replied, smiling as she turned and left the office.

Brennan stood, a furrow in her brow. Why did Angela have to be so…thought provoking?

Angela glanced back at her friend, who remained in the same place Angela had left her and she knew she was deep in thought. Good Angela thought as she smiled, grabbing her coat as she headed for Georgetown Hospital.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

"How ya feelin'?" Angela said as she appeared in the doorway to Booth's room.

Booth was a little surprised to see HER.

"Hey, Angela. I'm good. What are you doing here?" he asked, shifting in his bed.

"I wanted to see how you were. Brennan told me what happened," Angela replied, taking a seat in the chair close to the bed.

"Oh, she did? Really?" Booth replied, nervously.

"Yeah, I mean, it's gotta be pretty traumatic plunging into cold water like that and getting knocked out. How does your head feel, by the way?" Angela replied.

"It's better. Is that all Bones said? I mean, that I fell and hit my head and she had to pull me out?" Booth inquired, an awkward look on his face.

Angela half-smiled. "Booth, this is me you're talking to. Do you think that I can't tell you're nervous as hell right now?" Angela asked, her smile turning into a smirk.

Booth narrowed his eyes and he glanced at his hands and then back at Angela.

"Nervous? Why would I be nervous?" Booth asked, laughing slightly in a half-as attempt to get Angela off his back. He should have known it wouldn't work.

"Really, Booth? Are we going to play THAT game?" Angela asked, the smile still shining.

Booth's face quickly changed. "Alright, fine. You're Miss Intuition, I get it. You and Caroline should really start some sort of helpline," he replied, narrowing his eyes once again.

Angela couldn't help but chuckle before continuing. "You remember, don't you?" Angela asked, cutting to the chase.

"Remember what?" Booth asked, genuinely confused.

"Everything. You told her you didn't remember, but you do," Angela replied.

Booth's face scrunched. "How are you this good?" he asked her.

"You're this good at reading criminals and I'm this good at reading two people in denial," Angela replied, shooting him an Angela look.

"I'm not in denial, I told her-" he caught himself and pursed his lips, shaking his head.

Angela was beaming. "I'm sorry, what?" she asked, playfully.

"Nothing," he replied.

"Oh, come on. You know she told me," Angela replied.

"Well, maybe I kissed her because I was trying to warm my lips, you ever think of that?" he asked, defensively.

"Wait, you kissed her?" Angela asked, intrigued at this new piece of information.

"I thought you said she told you," Booth shot back.

"She told me you said you were in love with her. There was no mention of any tonsil hockey," Angela replied.

"First of all, there wasn't any tonsil hockey. Second of all, she kissed me first," Booth replied, pointing his finger in the air and then at Angela.

"She did? Oh, I'm gonna kill her for not telling me everything," Angela replied.

"Granted, my lips were numb and she was only trying to warm them up," Booth added, glancing sheepishly at Angela. "And then I kissed her again," he added after seeing the look on Angela's face.

"Really?" Angela replied, smiling mischievously again. "So, the real question here is: were you delirious or not?" Angela said, her eyebrows raised as she looked at him.

Booth looked into Angela's eyes and he knew he couldn't get around this.

"If you're so 'good,' Angela, I think you know the answer to that," Booth replied, making air quotes on "good."

Angela smiled sweetly this time. "How long?" she asked.

"I don't even know. I just know that…I want to protect her, you know? I have never met anyone like her," Booth said, laughing slightly as his eyes widened.

"Yeah, I don't think any of us have," Angela threw in, smirking.

Booth smiled back. "I don't want her to hurt…I just want her to be happy…but…I want her to be happy…with me, you know?" Booth said, looking to Angela for help. "I mean, I saw that she was scared when I told her, but I thought I'd just have fun with it. You know, drop subtle hints here and there so that she'd figure out that I actually did remember. And then I started thinking, 'this is Bones. She isn't going to figure it out,'" Booth finished.

"She needs someone to knock her upside the head," Angela added, smirking once again.

"You're her best friend, why don't you talk to her?" Booth asked.

Angela rolled her eyes dramatically. "You think I haven't done that? I've been trying to get her to jump you since you two started working together," Angela replied. "Do you know how exhausting it's been?"

Booth snickered. "I have an idea…" he replied.

"Look, it's like I said. She needs a smack on the head…so give her one. Sure, you can drop subtle hints at first just for your own personal benefit," Angela said, smirking, "but you need to do something completely and totally out of the blue. Then she'll get the idea…hopefully," Angela instructed Booth, thinking about how she told Brennan to just "feel."

"Won't that just scare her again?" Booth asked, quite concerned.

"Not if you do it right. She's picking you up, right?" Angela inquired.

Booth nodded.

"You can have your fun and games when she gets here. And trust me, I'd LOVE to see that. But then…do something that's gonna be significant only to the two of you," Angela instructed. "Oh, and Booth…I think you're pretty good at doing things right," she added.

"You do?" Booth asked.

"Yeah. You're probably the most thoughtful guy I've ever met…well, besides my Hodgie," Angela told Booth, still smiling.

Booth's brow wrinkled and his smile faded into a look of worry.

"What if it changes everything? I mean, us being…together? As a couple? Everything could get ruined," Booth asked, clearly troubled at the thought.

Angela simply smiled softly. "You two have been together for a while now. You just haven't had sex yet," Angela replied, standing from the chair.

Booth narrowed his eyes again and stared at her. "You really don't know how to be discreet, do you?" he asked, rhetorically.

"No, I can be when I want to. I just don't want to," Angela replied, smiling smugly. "Remember…knock her upside the head," she added, smiling as she made her way to the door.

Booth paused for a moment, taking everything in. He stared straight ahead of him and pondered what Angela had said and when he looked up to thank her, she was gone.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

"Thanks for picking me up, Bones," Booth said as he slid into the passenger seat of his SUV.

"Of course," Brennan replied. "Oh, I wanted to let you know that they caught Johansson," she added.

"Dammit! I should have been the one to get the bastard," Booth exclaimed, clearly distraught.

"I thought you'd be relieved. He's behind bars and he's probably going away for life," Brennan replied as she pulled out of the hospital parking lot.

"Yeah, I am. Just wanted to get him myself, that's all. Instead, I nearly froze to death and I have 10 stitches in my head," Booth replied, sub-consciously touching the back of his head.

Brennan glanced over at him as if to check and make sure he still really didn't remember anything.

"So, are you hungry? Did you eat anything?" Brennan asked, glancing back at the road.

"Starving. Hospital food is not my idea of a meal. They didn't have pudding! What hospital doesn't give you pudding?" Booth replied, nearly whining.

Brennan chuckled.

"I'm guessing you didn't eat all day," Booth said.

"What makes you think that?" Brennan inquired.

"You never eat when you're worried," Booth replied.

"What makes you think I was worried?" Brennan replied, a little defensively.

"Oh, I don't know…my near-death experience perhaps," Booth replied, making severe facial expressions as he spoke.

"I wasn't…worried. I knew you'd be fine," Brennan responded, a catch in her voice as she glanced sideways at him.

"Then why'd you take me to the hospital?" Booth asked.

"Just in case there were…other complications from…just because!" Brennan sputtered.

"You were worried about me," Booth stated, smirking and pointing his finger at her.

"I…was not! I monitored you through the night and when you got to the hospital, I knew your vitals were stable and that you would be perfectly fine," Brennan replied, grasping onto the wheel tightly.

"Then why didn't you eat today?" Booth prodded.

"I never said I didn't eat! YOU said that!" Brennan exclaimed.

Booth paused for a moment as the next words formed in his brain. He smiled before he spoke.

"Maybe you were just PRETENDING that you weren't worried," Booth suggested, emphasizing the key word of the sentence.

Brennan's eyes widened and her grip tightened around the wheel. Her brow furrowed and her jaw clenched, but she kept herself from looking at him.

"I-I wasn't…pretending anything," she replied, a little shakily. Does he remember? she thought.

"Okay, Bones. Whatever you say," Booth conceded, smiling at her and acting as though nothing had happened.

Perhaps it was just a slip of the tongue. Bad metaphor, Temperance she thought, closing her eyes for a moment as the memories of the previous night flooded her head.

"Do you want to get some food or do you want to go home?" Brennan asked, bringing the conversation back to the point at hand.

"Why don't we go home…and then get food," Booth replied, smiling playfully at her.

Brennan's brow furrowed. "How would we do that? And…what 'home'?" Brennan asked, confused.

"Well, either your home or my home and we order delivery. I could go for some Mee Krob and Kung Pao Chicken right about now," Booth replied, glancing at her for a reaction.

Brennan's jaw clenched again. She didn't know if she could be alone with him right now. It was all still too awkward. Feel. Angela told you to feel. she thought.

Brennan sighed. "Okay, fine. We should go to your apartment though, so I can just leave when we're done with dinner," Brennan replied, giving in at least partially to her "feelings."

"Great, so when do I get my car back?" Booth asked, mocking annoyance.

"I'll pick you up in the morning and take you to the Jeffersonian and you can have it then," Brennan replied.

"Yeah, okay," Booth replied as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. "So, what do you want from Wong Foo's? The regular?" he asked, flashing a half charm smile.

She looked back over at him and smiled. "Sure. Sounds good," she replied, convinced that he truly didn't remember anything and that the "pretending" comment had been a coincidence.


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

7 traditional Asian takeout cartons littered the coffee table. Booth was leaning back into the sofa, attempting to evade Brennan's arm as she swiped at him.

"Can I see it, Booth?" she whined.

"Uh-uh. I wanna read it to you," Booth replied as he jerked his arm away.

"You laughed. Why did you laugh?" Brennan asked, giving up the pursuit for a moment.

"You'll see," Booth replied as he cautiously lowered his arm.

Brennan pursed her lips and then suddenly lurched forward, missing his hand yet again.

Booth laughed. "Will you just let me read it?" he asked, still chuckling.

Brennan rolled her eyes, but dropped her arm in defeat. "Fine."

Booth smiled as he opened the small piece of paper. "Ready?" he teased, a child-like smile on his face.

Brennan glared at him. "Yes," she replied, her eyes widening in a defiant stare.

Booth glanced at her one more time before beginning to read, "You show your many talents through your outlandish opinions and confident logic," Booth read, looking to Brennan when he was finished.

"It does NOT say that!" Brennan exclaimed, clawing at his hand and succeeding in grabbing the paper.

Booth watched as her eyes flew across the paper and he couldn't help but laugh. Brennan's expression changed to one of disbelief with a hint of embarrassment. She threw the fortune on the table as her eyes darted around.

Booth was still snickering. He could see that she was embarrassed, but he prodded nonetheless. "Aw, come on, Bones. It's a fortune cookie. Surely you, a rational, empirical, and LOGICAL scientist don't believe in fortune cookies," Booth said as he leaned forward to get a better look at her face.

Brennan rolled her eyes and clenched her jaw as she turned her gaze on Booth.

"That's not nice," she informed him, her eyes wide in her typical Brennan glare.

"Aw, Bones, don't get all worked up. Look, it says 'confident'…and that's a good thing," Booth replied as he took the piece of paper and attempted to show it to Brennan, all the while snickering.

Brennan placed her elbows on her knees and clasped her hands together as she widened her eyes even more, her right eyebrow rising ever so slightly.

"You're mean," she replied, her eyes glancing away.

Booth looked at her and within a few moments, he stopped snickering and his face grew gentle.

"Lighten up, Bones. It was supposed to be a joke," Booth said as he smiled, leaning in closer so Brennan would have to meet his gaze.

Brennan looked to him and noticed a mischievous grin on his face and a gleam in his eye. Her brow furrowed.

"What do you mean, 'a joke?'" she asked, skeptical now.

"A joke…you know, a statement that is communicated from one person to another with the intent of being…humorous," Booth explained, his face contorting into severe facial expressions.

"Can you quit with the sarcasm?" Brennan requested. "Your facial expression and your explanation suggest that you knew about the 'joke' ahead of time," she added.

Booth smiled smugly at her.

Brennan watched him and grew annoyed that he wasn't responding. That gleam returned to his eye and she knew he had planned this.

"What did you do? How do you fake a fortune cookie?" she inquired.

"Oh, Sid has this fun machine that lets you print anything you want," Booth replied, his smile softening.

Brennan rolled her eyes again. "I'm glad you could have fun at my expense," she replied, grabbing hold of the piece of paper and reading it again.

"Why thank you," he replied, his eyes still gleaming. "But seriously, Bones, it was just supposed to be a joke. Funny ha-ha? You know?" Booth added, scooching down and elbowing Brennan in the ribs.

She flinched at his touch and turned to meet his eyes again. Her lips parted into a smile.

"Yeah, okay. It was funny, Booth," she reassured him as she smiled, shaking her head as she leaned back into the couch and closed her eyes.

When she opened her eyes after 5 or 6 seconds, she was surprised to see him staring at her.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing. I was just thinking," he replied, leaving it open-ended on purpose.

"About what?" she inquired, truly curious.

"I don't know…last night, I guess," Booth replied, pausing as he waited for her reaction.

Brennan glanced away and froze, an awkward expression forming on her face.

"Oh…really? Well, it's over now, so…" Brennan spoke as she stood and bent to the table, gathering a couple of the cartons of food.

"Bones," Booth said softly as he reached for her arm.

She stopped at his touch and set the cartons down, standing upright and pushing the hair out of her face.

"Yes, Booth?" Brennan said as she sighed and closed her eyes momentarily. She couldn't look at him.

He regarded her for a moment before speaking. "Thank you," he said, staring at her intently, willing her to look at him.

After another few seconds, she did. "For what?" she asked, mocking confusion.

He gazed up at her, a soft smile on his face. "Saving my life," he said, simply, his gaze unwavering.

"Oh…well, I did what was necessary to-"

"Thank you, Temperance," Booth said, his face soft.

She couldn't help but look down into his eyes. She almost felt drawn to them…to him. She stood staring at him and he gazed back. His eyes were so warm and she didn't want to look away. She found herself falling into his gaze and she desperately wanted to kiss him. She wanted to feel his lips again and this time, they would be warm. But she refrained from doing so and brought herself back to reality and rationale. She folded her arms and felt tears behind her eyes.

"You're welcome, Booth," she responded, glancing away finally as a tear threatened to escape. She broke his grasp on her arm as she picked up 2 of the cartons.

"You don't have to clean, Bones," he told her, hoping that she would just stop and sit with him.

"Okay, well then, I should probably…get going. Pick you up around 7:30?" Brennan replied, stepping away from the couch and grabbing her coat.

Booth's spirit was broken. He had hoped she would at least stay for a little while. He had been too intense and he had given her a way out…she could leave. He was upset, but he knew he still had some time and he would make sure she couldn't leave the next time.

"Uh…yeah, sure. That's fine," Booth replied, rising from the couch.

"Okay. Good night, Booth. Thanks for dinner," Brennan said, glancing quickly in his direction as she reached the door.

"Yeah, g'night Bones," Booth replied as he closed the door behind her.

Tomorrow he thought and he smiled his way to the table to clean up.


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8**

"Good morning, Bones," Booth said cheerily as he got into the passenger seat and handed her a paper cup of coffee.

Brennan took the cup and smiled. "Thanks, Booth," she said, indicating the coffee.

"I thought you could use a little warming up. It's freezing out here and…ooohhh," Booth said as he squinted his eyes at her, leaning in to get a closer look at something on her face.

Brennan's brow furrowed and she tilted her head backwards as his face came closer.

"What?" she asked, thoroughly confused.

"Your lips look cold. Here…drink," he replied as he lifted her hand and the cup to her mouth.

She took a sip as she attempted to comprehend what Booth had just said and why. Her lips looked cold? What? She lowered the cup after another moment.

"I'm…fine. How can my lips 'look' cold? Are they blue?" Brennan asked, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"Just an observation. Thought they might need to, you know…rewarm. Hence, the coffee," Booth replied, turning from her and buckling his seatbelt.

Brennan's face turned quickly to a bright shade of red and she froze, her eyes fixated on Booth's profile as he wasn't looking at her. He wore a faint smile that Brennan couldn't quite figure out. Rewarm. Does he…no, he said he didn't she thought to herself.

"Okay then," she replied as she put the car into drive and pulled onto the street.

Booth simply sat and smiled, thinking of all he had in store.


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9**

"It's snowing!" Angela belted as she strode into Brennan's office around 1 o'clock that afternoon.

Brennan looked up from her computer.

"Really? I didn't think it was cold enough to snow," Brennan replied.

"It's dropped like 10 degrees in the past hour. There's a blizzard brewing," Angela said as she leaned against Brennan's desk. "It's absolutely gorgeous outside. It's like THE perfect snow. So romantic," Angela continued to rant as she beamed.

Brennan wrinkled her brow.

"Why are you so…cheery?" she inquired of her best friend.

"What? A girl can't be joyful just because?" Angela asked, the goofy grin still plastered to her face.

Brennan continued to gaze at her, her curiosity peaked.

"Alright, fine. Hodgins and I just did it on Cleopatra's bed. I'm high as a kite," Angela spit out as she radiated warmth and sensuality.

"You know those are priceless artifacts-"

"Oh, spare me your speech. You want to go get a bite to eat?" Angela asked.

Brennan held up an organic granola bar.

"That does not count as food. Let's go to the diner, come on," Angela said as she vacated her spot against Brennan's desk and moved to get Brennan up and out of her chair.

"Ang, I'm not hungry. And if you think that I am going to give you any more details about being naked with Booth, you're wrong," Brennan replied. "And I have already told you that I haven't 'felt' anything," she added when Angela opened her mouth to protest.

Angela's smile turned to a frown and she pursed her lips.

"You are a piece of work…do you know that? Of course, I wouldn't love you if you weren't. Will you just go with me to eat? I want to have girl time with my best friend," Angela said, sincerely.

Brennan eyed her, looking for any hint of a hidden agenda. She didn't see one.

"Fine. But only if you promise to not talk about Booth," Brennan replied, her eyes piercing.

"Yes, yes. I promise," Angela said as she rolled her eyes and took hold of Brennan's arm, lifting her out of her chair. "Grab your coat, it's-"

"It is a winter wonderland out there!" Booth exclaimed as he strutted into Brennan's office, brushing his gloved hands together.

Angela's face lit up as she had not seen the two partners together since the hypothermic incident. Her day was just getting better and better.

"Hey, Booth. We were just heading out to get some lunch. Care to join us?" Angela asked, her eyes wide with mischief.

"I thought you wanted to have girl time," Brennan inquired, a whine in her voice as she attempted to edge Booth out of the equation while also wanting girl time herself.

"Is anyone going to ask why I'm here?" Booth asked.

"Do we have a case?" Brennan asked, her interest suddenly rising.

"Nope. Just thought I'd see if you wanted to get lunch," Booth replied, a glowing smile playing across his face.

"Sounds great. We'll do girl time later, Bren. So, the diner then?" Angela butted in, beaming and batting her eyelashes.

"Yeah, that's fine," Brennan gave in. Both of them seemed so…giddy and she didn't quite know what to make of it.

"You can see how gorgeous the snow is. It's like THE perfect snow," Booth exclaimed as he helped Brennan with her coat.

"That's exactly what Angela said. It's just snow, you know. It's happened before and guess what? It will happen again," Brennan said slowly, a sarcastic smile on her face.

"You sure know how to ruin a moment, you know that?" Booth informed her as he brushed past her and out of the office, closely behind Angela.

Brennan wrinkled her brow again. "I…do not," was all she could whine before she picked up the pace and fastwalked to catch up with them.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"How did you fall? Did you just slip?" Angela asked, her ears pricked to hear the answer.

"I was running and didn't think about it being slippery. It was snowy, so I shoulda thought that there would be ice," Booth replied as he took a sip of his coffee.

"And where were you when he fell?" Angela asked as she turned her head to Brennan.

Brennan glanced at Booth quickly before looking back at Angela.

"I was probably 10 yards from him. It was really dark and I didn't see him…fall," she replied, her eyes darting away from both of theirs as she raised her own coffee mug to her mouth.

"Freaky. And you really don't remember anything?" Angela asked, a small smile hiding beneath her concerned face.

Brennan glanced immediately over at Booth.

His eyes darted between Brennan and his coffee mug. It took him a few seconds to answer.

"Uh…no, not really," he replied, taking another sip.

"How is that possible? I mean, you guys were there for over 5 hours and you can't remember a single thing about the entire night?" Angela inquired, taking her time in speaking the words "single" and "entire."

Her eyes were dancing playfully and Booth had noticed. While Brennan continued to stare at her coffee mug, Booth looked to Angela and then opened his mouth to speak.

"I do remember something…" he said, his voice trailing off as he waited for Brennan's reaction.

Her eyes steeled and she looked to him.

"Really? Wh-what might that be?" she asked, attempting normalcy and failing.

"Well, I kinda remember feeling something really soft. You know, like against my skin. I remember it smelling really good, but I-I don't really know WHAT it was…or wh-"

"Blanket," Brennan replied quickly. "I…wrapped you in a-a blanket. It probably smelled like the pine from the cabin," she continued as she rubbed her lips together, tucking her top lip under her bottom.

"No…it wasn't pine. It was more of a fruity smell," he replied, furrowing his brow as he pretended to think really hard.

"Had to have been the blanket," Brennan said, nodding her head as if it would convince Booth.

Angela watched the interaction between the two of them and she mustered everything she could to keep from smiling giddily. This was priceless.

"Do you remember anything else?" Angela prodded.

"He already said that he didn't," Brennan cut in.

"I believe she was talking to me," Booth said to Brennan. "Yeah, yeah. I kinda remember…talking. I was…yeah, I was talking. Something about…I can't quite…nope, I lost it," he continued. Then he suddenly realized something. "Hey, wait a second. Did you slap me?" Booth asked Brennan, his brow deeply wrinkled and this time, he was completely serious.

Brennan's eyes grew wide.

"I-I had to. You needed to get up and get dry, so…I slapped you," Brennan replied, sighing as she looked for his reaction.

"Thanks," he replied.

"You're welcome," she replied, nodding.

"So…that's it? Nothing else?" Angela continued, hoping to get at least one more little moment between the two of them.

Booth's demeanor changed and suddenly, he no longer wanted to mess with her. He had truly not remembered the slapping as it had happened right after the initial trauma. Now he remembered how he had felt…that everything was slipping away and then she had slapped him and quite literally knocked the sense back into him. Angela had said that she needed a smack upside the head and he had needed it then because he had been ready to give up. But she saved him. And that fact came back to his mind and he was eternally grateful all over again.

"No. That's it," he replied, looking to Angela and then back to Brennan.

Angela noticed the change and she decided not to push it. Whatever this thing was between them…it was fragile. It had to be handled delicately, now she finally understood. And she had no doubt that Booth knew how to be delicate.

"Well, I need to get back to work. Hodgins has some…stuff for me…Gormagon. Anyway, I'll see you two later," Angela sputtered as she hurried out of the diner.

"Sorry if I intruded on your 'girl time,'" Booth said, making air quotes.

Brennan smiled softly. "It's okay, Booth. You're not intruding," she replied, gazing at him.

He looked into her eyes for a good 8 seconds and he saw what he had seen after they had kissed under the mistletoe…and he wanted to see it again and again. It was a look of contentment that she had and the simple fact that she was content made him happy.

"So, guess I better get back to the bureau…see if there's anything going on that's…interesting," Booth said as he pulled his wallet out.

Brennan placed a hand over his. "My treat. You got dinner last night," Brennan said as she reached for her own wallet.

Booth paused. "Okay, fine. You win," he replied.

Brennan left the money and the two of them made their way out into the snowstorm. It had picked up over the 45 minutes they had been in the diner and about 4 inches had accumulated on the streets with huge snowflakes falling rapidly.

Brennan crossed her arms and snuggled into her scarf as Booth shoved his hands into his pockets.

"It's getting bad," Brennan observed as the wind kicked up.

"Yeah," Booth replied.

They reached the Jeffersonian and Booth turned to Brennan.

"Well, I'll talk to you later then," Booth said as he turned to head to the parking garage.

"Yeah, okay," she replied as she shook the snow from her scarf.

She made her way to her office and turned back to watch Booth disappear in the elevator. Something soft and fruity she thought and she was pretty sure that it was her skin and her peaberry shampoo he had been remembering. As long as he didn't know, it was fine.

She reached her office and dropped to her chair with a thunk. She just sat and pondered what she could do. With no case to work on, she thought she might head back to limbo. As she got up to leave the office, Booth came striding in.

"Do you have jumper cables? My car's dead," he said.

"Uh, yeah…in my car. I'll give you a jump," she replied, heading back out of the office.

Booth smiled as he followed closely behind her.


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER 10**

"I don't understand why it won't start," Brennan exclaimed as she released the jumper cable to Booth.

"I don't know, Bones. And what a great day for it to die. There's a blizzard outside," Booth exclaimed.

"Can't the FBI give you another car?" Brennan inquired.

"Well, usually, I suppose. But not in this weather," he replied as he slammed the hood of the SUV.

Brennan watched him as he paced.

"Mind if I hang around for a little while? Maybe get a ride home?" Booth asked, grinning sheepishly.

"Sure, Booth. What are friends for, right?" Brennan replied, smiling.

"Great. Can I take a nap on your couch? I'm exhausted," Booth asked.

"Uh…sure," Brennan replied as she followed Booth back into the building.

With Booth's back turned to her, Brennan did not see the sneaky and mischievous little smile that was dancing across his lips. He continued to smirk to himself, thinking that he was an absolute genius.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning. It's getting bad out there, so we're letting everyone go early," Cam informed Brennan as she popped her head into her office.

"It's not even 4 o'clock," Brennan replied, looking up from her computer.

"I know, but the whole city is shutting down. We need to get out and get home while we still can," Cam replied.

A loud snort erupted from the sofa.

Cam looked over to the sofa with a look of sheer confusion and bewilderment on her face.

"Why is Booth asleep on your sofa?" Cam asked, the bewilderment never leaving her face.

"He said he was exhausted. And his car battery died," Brennan explained, pointing to him with her pen.

"Okay then. Wake him up and make sure he gets home. I'll give you a call and let you know if we'll be open tomorrow," Cam said as she turned to leave.

"Why wouldn't we be open?" Brennan asked, thoroughly confused.

"Blizzard…snow…ice…city shutting down. I'll call you," Cam reiterated before disappearing.

Brennan sighed. "Booth," she spoke loudly. He didn't move. "Booth!" she tried again and still nothing. She got up from her chair, walked to the sofa and bent down. "Booth!"

He sprang up. "Bones? What? Are you okay?" he asked, clearly quite worried.

Brennan snickered. "I'm fine. You have to get up. Cam says there's a blizzard warning and we all have to leave before it gets worse. I'll take you home," Brennan informed him.

Booth got up groggily and yawned. "What time is it?" he asked.

"Almost 4," she replied as she grabbed his coat and handed it to him.

"So, it's still snowing?" Booth asked, rhetorically.

"I assume so, yes," Brennan replied as she flipped the lights off.

As they left the office, Angela and Hodgins walked by.

"Get home safe, sweetie," Angela said.

"We-I will," Brennan sputtered.

Angela found this quite cute but Booth seemed to have been oblivious to the doctor's comment.

"Dude, you look like you just got out of bed," Hodgins informed Booth.

"He was taking a nap…on my sofa," Brennan explained.

"Right," Hodgins said, a smug look on his face.

"Call me later, k?" Angela asked as they walked towards the elevators.

"Yeah. I have to, uh, take Booth home first. His battery died," Brennan explained.

"Lucky day for THAT to happen. Just be careful. You don't exactly have the best winter car," Angela told Brennan. "YOU make sure she gets home safe," she added, pointing at Booth.

"Yes, ma'am," Booth replied as he raised his eyebrows.

"In fact, you should really just stay at Booth's. I mean, you might not be able to make it home and-"

"Thanks, Ang, I think we can figure it out," Brennan cut in as the 4 of them stepped into the elevator.

"Just trying to help…" Angela said, smiling smugly at Hodgins, who grinned knowingly.

The doors opened to the parking garage and they went their separate ways.

As Brennan slipped in behind the wheel, she said, "Why do I have to do all the driving lately?" she asked, slightly irritated.

"You usually complain that you don't get to drive enough," Booth reminded her.

"Yeah, well…I take it back," she replied.

"Do you want me to drive?" Booth offered.

"No. It's fine. Just…fine," Brennan said as she turned the ignition and pulled out of the parking space.

She found her way out of the garage and a blustery shower of large white flakes met them outside. She turned the wipers on as she squinted out of the windshield.

"Look at this…isn't it gorgeous?" Booth exclaimed as he gazed out of the window and out at the blanket of white.

"I can't tell, I'm trying to focus on driving," Brennan responded.

Booth continued to gaze out of the window and Brennan kept her eyes glued to the road as she made her way to Booth's apartment. It took an extra 10 minutes because of the roads and by the time they got to the apartment, another 2 inches had fallen.

Brennan pulled up to the building and put the car in park.

"Thanks again, Bones. You've been doing a lot for me lately," Booth said, smiling softly.

"It's not a problem, Booth. Now get out so I can get home," Brennan said in a jovial tone as she smiled.

Booth paused for a few moments before speaking. "You know, you actually should just stay here. It's another 20 minutes to your place on a good day. In a half an hour, there'll be 10 inches on the ground," Booth suggested, rationally.

"I'll be fine, Booth," Brennan replied.

"Well, I know you think you'll be fine. But…the thing is…I'll worry and I don't want to worry. Plus, I was going to ask you if you wanted dinner, anyway," Booth said, shrugging and flashing a half-charm smile.

Brennan looked into his eyes and she found that warmth again…and she didn't want to look away. She knew that she should go because this was a little too close for comfort. Angela's word returned to her: feel. The warmth in his eyes was a feeling…a feeling that she wasn't ignoring. Rationally, it did make more sense to stay with him, seeing as how the weather was getting worse by the minute.

After a good 20 seconds of mulling it over, she gave in.

"Okay, Booth. I'll stay," she finally replied as she put the car back into gear and headed for the garage.

"I have a couch, so, you know…no problems with the sleeping arrangements. I've also got some old t-shirts and sweats that you can wear to sleep in…I mean, if you want," he said, clearly having already thought this out. Of course, that wasn't very clear to Brennan.

"Right, I know. I mean, thanks," she replied, shaking her head at her ineptitude. "So, what are we going to eat? I don't think Wong Foo's will be delivering."

Booth smiled. "Oh, you have yet to discover my many talents in the kitchen," he replied, snickering as he smiled.

Brennan smiled back, thinking of just how she was going to get through this night without reliving the night of the incident.


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER 11**

"I had no idea you could cook, Booth," Brennan said as she lifted her fork to her mouth.

"Aha!" Booth exclaimed suddenly.

Brennan's brow furrowed. "What?"

"I can still surprise you then," Booth replied, smiling as he too took a bite.

Brennan smiled back as she chewed. She set down her fork, her plate empty, and sighed.

"That was fantastic," she complimented.

"It's one of Parker's favorites. Well, besides mac-n-cheese. I call it 'Spaghetti ala Dad.' I know, real creative, huh?" Booth informed her.

Brennan snickered and after a moment, her smile softened. She took a sip of wine as she looked to Booth.

He was already gazing at her, his own wine glass in hand. A soft smile danced across his lips and for a precious minute, all was quiet and all was content.

Brennan started to feel. She felt warm; she felt safe; she felt happy. Does Booth make me happy? she pondered to herself. She thought about it during that precious minute and she came to a conclusion…yes, HE made HER happy. It wasn't just working with him or bickering with him or talking to him that made her happy…it was HIM. The presence of him was enough to fuel her happiness for…she didn't even know for how long. But she suddenly felt herself wanting more and her instincts kicked in as she pushed the thought away. Partners. Just partners. Wait, you're supposed to feel. She battled within herself and as that precious minute was up, a crease formed in her brow.

Booth noticed. "You okay, Bones?" he asked, concerned.

Brennan snapped out of it and looked to him again, setting her wine glass down.

"Yes, I'm…fine. So…what do we do now?" she asked, shrugging her shoulders.

"Well, I'll clean up-"

"I can help," she offered.

"Uh-uh. You're my guest…you're not lifting a finger," Booth informed her.

"Then what should I do?" she asked.

"I was thinking maybe we could play a game. Something we've never done, I don't think," Booth suggested as he rose from the table.

"What kind of game?" Brennan asked, intrigued.

"Check out the closet behind the TV. There are quite a few board games to choose from," Booth said as he picked up both plates and headed to the sink.

"A board game? Like Monopoly?" Brennan asked.

"Yeah. I've got that and a few others. You pick, Bones," Booth said, smiling.

Brennan returned the smile and nodded. "Okay. Don't take too long," she replied as she turned for the doorway to the den.

"I won't," Booth replied.

He watched her disappear and he couldn't shake the smile from his face. A blizzard with Bones, I couldn't have planned this better he thought to himself. As he washed the dishes, he thought of the special little surprise he had for her and his smile widened into a boyish grin.


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER 12**

"Scrabble? Really?" Booth asked, wanting to play Monopoly himself.

"It was my favorite when I was a little girl. I always beat Russ and it made him mad," Brennan replied as she set the box on the coffee table.

"Of course it was. You probably had the vocabulary of a 20 year old when you were like 6," Booth replied, meaning it as a compliment.

"Or we could play Candyland. Russ was always good at that one. I never really understood the point," Brennan said. 

"There isn't any thinking involved, so you wouldn't understand," Booth replied as he sat on the floor in front of the table.

Brennan smiled softly. He was complimenting her and for once, she thought it was sweet.

"We're going to play on the floor?" she asked.

"Yeah, Bones. It's the only way to play a board game…especially in a blizzard," Booth replied, looking up at her as he grabbed the box from the table.

"Fine. But, can I change first? My outfit isn't exactly…appropriate for the floor," she said as she looked down at her blouse and skirt.

"Right. Hang on a sec," Booth said as he jumped up and disappeared into the bedroom. HE had already changed into a pair of jeans and a Grateful Dead t-shirt.

Brennan walked to the window and moved the blinds so she could see out. The snow had not let up even a little and the city lights bounced off the snow and lit up the sky as though it were daytime. It really is beautiful Brennan found herself thinking.

"Here you go. I know, the sweats are big, but they have a drawstring," Booth said as he handed her a shirt and a pair of pants.

"Thanks. I'll…be right back," Brennan replied and she disappeared into the bathroom.

Booth walked to the window and moved the blinds so he could see out. The snow had not let up even a little and the city lights bounced off the snow and lit up the sky as though it were daytime. It really is beautiful Booth found himself thinking.

"Okay, ready to get beat?" Brennan announced as she reappeared, smiling brightly as she knew she was the ultimate Scrabble champ.

Booth's eyes took a moment to adjust to the sight of her. Booth had seen her all glammed up before, but there was something absolutely gorgeous and sensual about how she looked right now. She wore a long sleeved black and yellow Pittsburgh Steelers t-shirt and a pair of black sweatpants…and she was breathtaking. She was wearing HIS t-shirt and HIS pants and his brain turned to mush at the thought.

"Booth?" Brennan asked after he didn't respond.

"Yeah, uh…I mean, no. You only THINK you're the best. I've got a few tricks up my sleeves, you know," Booth replied, thankful to get his mind back on track halfway through his comment.

"Oh really? Ain't gonna happen," Brennan replied, smiling that Brennan smile of hers.

" 'Ain't,' Bones? See, you're already losing," Booth responded as he resumed his spot on the floor. Brennan joined him a moment later, crossing her legs.

"Oh, you are so going down," Brennan exclaimed as she opened the box and pulled out the board.

"You think so, huh?" Booth replied, smiling to himself at the double meaning in her statement.

"Definitely," she replied, oblivious to both comments she had just made.

THIS is going to be fun Booth thought as he shuffled the game pieces.

"Squirk? That is NOT a word," Booth said, his eyes narrowed and his face squished in confusion.

"Yes, it is," Brennan replied.

"Really? What does it mean?" Booth asked.

"It's when you suppress a laugh as though you are imitating someone," Brennan explained, straightforward. "For example, 'she squirked at the thought of him thinking he was right,'" she added, smirking.

"You made that up," Booth replied, his face still scrunched.

"I did not. Look it up," Brennan said as she pointed to the spot on the floor immediately to Booth's right where a dictionary sat, open to the "O" section.

"Fine, I believe you. I'm sick of that thing, I've already had to look up 6 words," Booth said, dejectedly as Brennan tallied up her points from her recent victory. She popped a few pieces of popcorn into her mouth as she gathered more letter squares.

"Okay, your turn," Brennan said, focused entirely on the game.

Booth looked at her and couldn't believe she was this intense…wait a second, yes he could. This game was clearly going in her favor. How could he have thought that it wouldn't with that high IQ of hers?

"How about we play Candyland now? Then maybe I won't feel like such an idiot," Booth said, sighing as he grabbed the bowl of popcorn from her side.

Brennan looked to him, confused.

"You're not an idiot and I'm having fun and all of the letter squares are almost gone anyway," Brennan replied.

"Yeah, because you keep getting a million points every turn," Booth said, still sounding dejected as his bottom lip stuck out ever so slightly.

"Told ya I was good," Brennan replied, smiling smugly.

"You've already won, so how 'bout that Candyland?" Booth said, his eyebrows raised as he got up to get the kids' game.

Brennan smiled and couldn't help but chuckle. She decided to give him a break.

"Okay, Booth. Candyland it is," she replied.

He had already grabbed the box as she started cleaning up Scrabble.

"You wanna know the final score?" she asked, quite serious.

"Uh…no, that's fine. I'm sure you knocked my socks off," Booth replied as he started to set up Candyland.

Brennan's face contorted. "Socks? How did I knock them off?" Brennan asked, quite confused.

Booth laughed. "Expression, Bones. It means you beat me…bad," he explained, still smiling at how adorable she was.

"Oh…okay. Then the answer is yes…I did 'knock your socks off,'" Brennan said, smiling brightly over at him.

All he did was chuckle. "What color do you want to be?" he asked her.

Before she could respond, her cell phone rang. She jumped up and walked to her coat to retrieve the ringing phone.

"Brennan."

"Hi sweetie. Just wanted to see that you got home okay," Angela said.

"Yeah. Actually, I'm at…Booth's," Brennan said, closing her eyes in anticipation of her friend's reaction.

Angela squealed. "How's it going?" she asked, mischief ever so present in her voice.

"Fine, Angela. Don't get any ideas," Brennan told her friend.

"Hey, Bones. Which color do you want?" Booth whispered from the floor.

"Uh, purple," she replied, glancing at him before turning her attention back to the phone.

"Purple what?" Angela asked, confused.

"We're playing Candyland, Booth wanted to know what color I wanted," Brennan explained, completely straightforward.

"THAT…is the cutest thing I have EVER heard," Angela replied, beaming from ear to ear.

"Ang…quit that. It's something to do. Plus I just knocked the socks off of him at Scrabble," Brennan said, turning to Booth and smiling widely.

He pointed at her with a smile.

"Of course you did. You have the vocabulary of a…well, of a person with a really high IQ…which would be you. Nevermind," Angela said, stumbling over her words as she realized that Brennan was the exact metaphor that one would normally use in this kind of situation.

"See you tomorrow?" Brennan said.

"Hopefully not. Have you looked outside?" Angela asked.

"Yes. It still hasn't stopped," Brennan replied.

"Exactly," Angela replied.

"Okay, so I'll talk to you tomorrow then," Brennan re-phrased.

"Of course. Oh, and sweetie?" Angela said.

"Yes?" Brennan questioned.

"Have you been 'feeling?'" Angela asked, sincerely.

Brennan sighed and paused a moment as she looked at Booth, who was placing the purple and the green playing pieces on the board.

"Yes, Ang…I have," Brennan finally responded, truthfully for the first time.

Angela smiled softly this time.

"Just trust it. Good night," Angela replied, sincerely.

"Good night, Ang," Brennan replied and pushed the end button.

"Angela?" Booth asked.

"Yes. She wanted to make sure I got home okay," Brennan replied.

"Did you tell her you were here?" Booth inquired.

"Yes, I did…how bout the game?" Brennan replied, quickly moving onto another topic.

"Alright, you go first, Bones," Booth said as he stretched out on his left side and rested his head on his hand.

18 minutes later, the little purple man passed the little green man and arrived at Candy Castle.

"I win!" Brennan exclaimed.

Booth's face fell as he watched the little purple man land on the final square.

"You're just good at…everything, aren't you?" Booth said, narrowing his eyes as he removed the playing pieces from the board and put them in the box.

"Aw, Booth. Don't be a sore loser," Brennan told him, smirking.

"I'm not a sore loser. You're just…too good," he explained as he folded the board and returned it to the box.

Brennan snickered. "I'll let you win next time, okay?" Brennan teased.

"Very funny," Booth replied as he got up and took both board games and returned them to the closet from which they came.

Brennan remained on the floor, actually quite comfortable; except for her feet…they were cold.

"Booth?" Brennan questioned.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"Do you think I could…borrow a pair of socks? My feet are freezing," Brennan asked as she grabbed hold of her feet and rubbed.

"Sure thing, Bones," he replied as he headed for the bedroom.

He opened a drawer and searched for a fleecy pair of socks. He found them quickly, but he paused before returning to the den. The night was going well and he was thoroughly enjoying himself, yet he also found himself stalling. He stood in his bedroom and began to gather his courage for the surprise…well, surprises. He smiled and turned for the den.

"Here ya go, Bones," he said as he tossed her the red, white, and blue fuzzy flag socks.

She laughed as she caught them.

"I can't believe I'm wearing a pair of your crazy socks," she said as she put them on.

"Aw, come on…you love my socks," Booth said as he leaned down closer to her face as she was still sitting on the floor.

She looked up at him and her smile matched his…sweet and soft. She FELT comfortable and she didn't think anything could change that.

As her smile widened, the lights flickered and then went out.

"Guess it's time for candles," Booth said as he straightened and started for the kitchen. "Be right back," he added and disappeared.

As Brennan's eyes adjusted to the dark, a stream of light came pouring in through the windows. She turned to look out the window and as her eyes continued to adjust, she realized that it was actually quite bright with the clouds and snow shining in the night. She stood up, walked to the window and opened the blinds, the glint of the winter wonderland guiding her. She stared out the window and as her feet warmed in Booth's patriotic socks, she thought of just how content she really was. She felt absolutely wonderful and she found herself not wanting the night to end.

"Winter wonderland, Bones," Booth said as he reappeared, holding 3 large, round candles and a giant lighter. He placed them all on the coffee table and he lit one.

"It really is. Too bad it didn't snow like this for Christmas. That would have made it even more perfect," she said, reminiscing about the first Christmas she had spent with her family in nearly 2 decades…and a tear spilled out of her eye.

As he grabbed the other candles and began to turn for the bedroom, Booth looked over to her and he saw the tear trickle down her cheek.

"You okay?" he asked.

Brennan sighed. "Yes. I'm just…it was good to spend time with my dad and Russ. And Amy's girls are really great. You know they call me Auntie Temperance?" Brennan said, smiling as she brushed the tear from her cheek.

"That's pretty special, Bones. You did so much for Haley. I know Amy and Russ are thankful for that," Booth said gently.

"I've never really had a connection to a child like I have had with Haley," Brennan pondered aloud, in wonder at the thought of it.

"Parker thinks you're pretty cool," Booth informed her, smiling.

"He does?" Brennan asked.

"Yeah. Are you kidding me? He's even started talking about liking science. Kinda scary," Booth informed her.

Brennan was truly flattered. She had never thought in a million years that she would have much contact with children. And she had never thought that she would enjoy their company either….but she did.

"Well, I think he's pretty cool, too," Brennan replied, smiling softly.

Booth looked to her, still smiling softly. "I'm gonna go put one of these in the bedroom and bathroom…so we can see," Booth said, not wanting to break the gaze.

"Okay," she replied simply as she smiled.

He turned and was gone.

The candle flickered as Brennan looked back outside. She could see that the entire area was dark. She figured that the snow had been too heavy and had caused the power lines to go down. She folded her arms across her chest and continued to look out, secretly wishing and hoping that Booth would walk up behind her and place his arms around her waist and pull her close. After a good minute, her mind snapped back to reality and she found herself holding her breath. She let it out and rolled her eyes at herself, now scolding herself for thinking like that.

"It's really beautiful," Booth said as he stared directly at her.

She startled as she turned to him. "Yes, it is," she replied.

He watched the light glimmer across her face and she looked like she was glowing. He then looked back out the window at the large flakes falling from the Heavens. He watched and looked out at the snow covered ground below…it was beautiful and he couldn't think of a more perfect scenario than the one he was in. And he decided that it was time…


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey All! Sorry I haven't said hey to anyone as of yet, so I thought I'd give a shout out and thank ALL of my wonderful, fabulous reviewers! You all are THE BEST! Especially **_**SnoopGir69, GGjunkie33, BonesDBchippie, mumrulz, bb-4ever.**_** I just wanted to let you all know that I TRULY appreciate the reviews and I am so glad you all are enjoying!**

**CHAPTER 13**

Brennan continued to gaze at the flurrying flakes and she found herself holding her breath yet again. As she let it out, she glanced over at Booth as he looked to the window again, a soft smile on his face. She eyed him and took a breath before speaking.

"Thank you, again…Booth," she said finally.

Booth turned to look at her.

"For making Christmas for my family," she added.

"Well, I didn't really do anything. I believe that was all Caroline," Booth replied.

"Yes, but you…cooperated," she said, thinking back to the kiss as her face became flushed. And she was suddenly thankful that he couldn't see her entirely.

"Yeah, well…you're welcome," Booth replied, smiling as he rocked back on his heels.

"And the tree…I don't think I really thanked you," Brennan said, sincerity evident on her face.

"Yeah, you did, Bones. You told me you loved it. That's all I needed," Booth said, looking to her as he smiled that Booth smile of his.

Brennan smiled back, but glanced away quickly before reminding herself to feel, Temperance and she sighed.

"Are you getting tired? I can get your stuff for the couch," Booth offered as he stepped towards the bedroom.

"Uh, yeah…sure. I'm a little tired," Brennan lied, stepping away from the window. She, in fact, was not tired at all. She FELT like she could stay up all night with him. That's a feeling she thought.

"'Kay, be right back," Booth said as he left for the bedroom.

Brennan took a step back as she took in the feeling she was having. Her eyes glanced back towards the bedroom, but then returned to the sofa as she sat. She soon became lost in a daze, unable to successfully process the feeling she was experiencing. It was a feeling of want and of…need? She wanted to be with him, to just be close to him and she suddenly felt that she needed him, too. She was in awe of the sensation and she closed her eyes to let it sink in, leaving her brain out of the equation for one of the first times in her life. As she began to accept the feeling, Booth reappeared.

"Okay, Bones. Sorry, I can't find extra sheets in the dark," he said.

Brennan's eyes popped open and she jumped up quite awkwardly from the sofa.

"Right, okay. That's…fine," Brennan sputtered, smiling strangely as she stood.

"I hope this will work okay," Booth said as he handed her 2 pillows and a blue, rolled up sleeping bag.

With the light flickering, Brennan's eyes fell on the items in his hands and as she took them, her entire body froze and her eyes grew wide.

Booth watched her reaction, trying to hold back a smile. Just wait, this is only the beginning he reminded himself.

Brennan couldn't find words and she began replaying the events of the other night in her head. His body…shaking. Both of them in the sleeping bag…so close…trembling. Now, as she stared down at the sleeping bag he had just given her, the thoughts and the possibility of being that close to him sprang to her mind…and she started to get scared…again.

"Yeah…that's…fine," she replied, swallowing hard as she had barely breathed for the past 20 seconds.

Booth knew she had to adjust and she hadn't quite come to the realization yet, so he stepped away and clapped his hands together.

"I'm gonna fix some hot chocolate. You want some?" he asked, flashing a charm smile that she didn't see.

She remained frozen to her spot, staring down at the sleeping bag.

"With no power?" she finally replied, her brow creasing as she shook her head slightly.

"Right, no power," he replied as his plan began to fall apart. He had wanted her to have her time and space so that she could process, but now he had absolutely no excuse to leave the den. "I'll…uh…make it the old fashioned way. You know, hot water on a stove?" he sputtered, hoping she would say yes.

She hadn't really heard him all too clearly…something about chocolate milk? But she needed space, so she replied, "Sure."

"Great! Be back in a few," he said as he darted out of the den.

She still couldn't move from that spot as her brain began to take over again. She was getting too close again and now there wasn't a thing she could do about it. She couldn't leave because she was quite literally snowed in and she couldn't have her own space…so she would have to confront it…just like she did that night when he had said he loved her. Granted, she convinced herself that he was delirious and she was still very thankful that he didn't remember, but…WAIT she thought suddenly. Or did he? Her demeanor changed drastically as her eyes shot over to the entrance to the kitchen, where she could hear Booth humming "Winter Wonderland." The "pretending" comment, the "rewarm" comment, the memory of something soft, and now a sleeping bag?

Her mouth dropped open slightly as the crease in her brow grew deeper and she dropped the makings of her bed on the sofa. She looked to the kitchen doorway and started for it.

Booth was pouring water into a pot on the stove when she entered.

"Not ready yet, Bones," he said, not looking over at her.

"You remember, don't you?" Brennan blurted, uneasiness rising in her chest.

"Remember what?" Booth asked, mocking confusion as his brow creased as well.

"The other night. You've repeated things you said that night and now you give me a sleeping bag? Do you think I'm stupid?" Brennan said, her eyes piercing in the candlelight and her voice firm.

"No, Bones. I DON'T think you're stupid," Booth replied, a smile cocking up one corner of his mouth as he emphasized the "don't."

His smile caught her and her eyes grew wide as she stood and stared at him. As she watched that smile of his and that gleam in his eye, she understood.

"What, this was your way of telling me you remembered?" Brennan asked, knowing full well what the answer was. She continued to stare at him, not knowing quite what to do.

"I thought it was clever," Booth replied as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Not funny!" Brennan yelled as she turned on her heels and left the room.

"Bones, hey…Bones," Booth called as he followed her back into the den. "It's not supposed to be funny. I just…wanted you to know," he explained.

Brennan stood by the sofa, facing the window. After a moment, she turned back to him.

"So, you thought you would trap me in a blizzard with no power and then throw…THIS…in my face?" Brennan said as she grabbed the sleeping bag.

"Yeah, Bones, I control the weather AND the power plant now, too," Booth replied, sarcastically as he saw that this was not going how he had planned.

Brennan nearly rolled her eyes as she dropped the sleeping bag again. "I can't leave and now I know that you remember and I can't do a damn thing about it. And that's what you wanted, isn't it?" Brennan asked him, tears now coming to her eyes as she glared at him, pleading for an answer.

"No, Bones," Booth said softly as he approached her slowly. Much to his surprise, she didn't move away. In fact, he had seen her much angrier.

"Then what, Booth? What do you want me to do? What do you…want?" Brennan asked, her senses reacting to his proximity to her. She was angry and confused and embarrassed that he remembered everything, but for some reason…she felt drawn to him. Somewhere deep down, she knew his intentions were good.

Booth closed the remaining few steps between them, smiling softly.

Brennan leaned her head back to look up at him. Her eyes never left his.

"I want us to be truthful," he replied as he gazed down into her blue-gray eyes.

"How, Booth? How can we be when you're playing games? How do I know if you're serious? I don't know…what to think," Brennan explained as she glanced away from him. Her brain was unable to comprehend his motives.

"Then stop thinking," Booth replied, his face firm, yet sincere.

Brennan's eyes snapped back to his. She studied him for a few moments as the light danced across his face, illuminating his features…and all she saw was sincerity and…warmth. There it was again, that warmth that emanated from his eyes…from his entire body.

Her breath caught in her throat. "Angela…" she began.

"What?" Booth asked, now confused.

Brennan took a deep breath. "She told me to…feel. She said I wasn't allowed to use my brain," Brennan told him, her eyes growing softer as she spoke.

"That's probably been pretty difficult, hasn't it?" Booth inquired, smiling softly again.

Brennan broke a smile and let her breath out.

"Yes, it really has," she replied.

"So…what do you feel?" Booth asked, the smile ever so soft now.

Brennan's anger disappeared as she looked in his eyes.

"I feel…I-I don't know," she replied, looking away as she tried to process the emotions.

"Yes, you do, Bones. You know," Booth told her.

Brennan looked back to him.

"I don't know how to…shut my brain off," Brennan said, a defeated tone in her voice.

"I think you do, Bones. But I think you're scared to," he told her. "Can I help?" he asked.

Brennan's brow furrowed.

"How?" she asked.

Booth's smile grew wide.

"Just…hang on a minute, okay? Can you sit on the sofa and close your eyes?" Booth asked as he stepped back from her.

"Why?" she asked, quite confused.

"You trust me, right?" Booth asked as he raised his eyebrows.

"Yes," she replied.

"Okay then, I'll be right back," he said, smiling as he headed for the kitchen.

"Why do you keep…leaving?" she asked, suddenly noticing that he had said "I'll be right back" quite a few times throughout the night.

"I'll be back. Now, sit and close your eyes…please," Booth instructed.

She sighed, pursed her lips, and nearly rolled her eyes…but she did as she was told.

Booth returned to the kitchen and was back in the den in less than 10 seconds.

Brennan could hear him moving, but he didn't speak.

"What are you doing?" she inquired, squeezing her eyes and attempting to look out of the corner of her right.

"Hey! No looking!" Booth exclaimed.

Brennan quickly shut her eyes again.

"Will you at least give me some sort of hint as to what you're doing?" Brennan asked.

"Nope. Just 10 more seconds, Bones," Booth informed her.

Brennan sighed again. "Fine."

The silence was short-lived as Booth finished his setup.

"Okay, Bones. Open your eyes," he said.

She opened her eyes and they fell upon Booth standing underneath an object dangling from the ceiling fan. She couldn't quite make it out in the semi-darkness, so she walked a few steps closer. Her brow furrowed for only a moment before the realization hit her. She walked only one more step toward him. She didn't want to get too close…yet.

"What are you doing, Booth?" she asked, glancing up at the dangling sprig of mistletoe.

Booth smiled softly. "Helping," he replied, simply.

"How is this going to help?" she asked, confused.

"Because you'll be able to feel without your brain getting in the way. Just like last time," Booth replied.

"It was a setup last time," Brennan replied, glancing from the mistletoe for only a moment.

"Doesn't matter. It isn't this time," Booth responded, the soft smile returning to his face.

Brennan looked between Booth and "the cute little sprig."

"Kiss me again. I'm not hypothermic and you're not being blackmailed. There are no excuses," he said, gesturing with his hand. "And if you don't truly FEEL…then at least we'll be even on the mistletoe requests," Booth told her, shrugging as he smiled.

Brennan's brow released its tension as a smile began to creep its way across her lips. This is it she thought. He was right and she knew it. She had to do it…for her sake as well as his. Her feelings AND her thoughts were jumbled. This would hopefully clear things up. It was, truly, the most rational thing to do.

After a good 10 seconds, she stepped towards him slowly, her eyes never leaving his. She stepped to his right side and she glanced up at the mistletoe for a moment.

He smiled sweetly and his heart skipped a beat as he looked at her, certain that she couldn't deny anything after this.

She looked up at him and slowly leaned forward and he matched her actions. Within a few seconds, their lips were touching.

Brennan's eyes fluttered shut upon first contact and she sighed, letting out a soft moan. The kiss remained G-rated for a couple of moments before she shifted her lips to kiss him deeper. He opened his mouth and slid his tongue through her parted lips to stroke hers gently. Electricity went pulsing through both of their bodies. Brennan reached her arms up and around Booth's neck, pulling him closer as she brushed his lips tenderly. Booth placed his hands on her waist and pulled her gently into him, their bodies as close as they had been on the night of the hypothermia.

Any semblance of any thought that Brennan had had prior to meeting his lips vanished. She wasn't thinking, she was only feeling. And THAT had never happened to Temperance Brennan.

Each brush of his lips was better than the last and her body shuddered as he moved his hands to the small of her back and kissed her even more deeply. His body ached and he wanted so much more, but he knew that he should pull back from the kiss…for her sake.

His lips left hers, but the electricity did not.

They opened their eyes at the same time.

"Why did you stop?" Brennan asked, disappointed, her arms still wrapped around his neck.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay," Booth replied, smiling softly.

Brennan smiled back at him as a tear escaped.

"I'm better than okay, Booth," she replied. "I feel…" she began.

"Yes?" Booth prodded.

"Warm. You make me warm and…you make me…happy," she confessed as another tear spilled. "I feel…like I belong when I'm with you. I-I can't explain it, but I just…you do something to me. I've never felt it before and it's…incredible," Brennan explained as she smiled through her tears.

Booth paused for a few moments as he gazed into her beautiful eyes.

"It's called love, Bones," Booth informed her as he swept a tear from her cheek.

"I-I…know. I've been denying it, I know that. I'm sorry, Booth. I'm so sorry," Brennan said as she buried her head in his chest.

He pulled her close. "Hey, shhh. Bones, you have nothing to be sorry about," he told her as he placed his hand on her head and stroked her hair.

"I've been so insensitive to your feelings when I felt the same way the whole time," Brennan said to his chest, suddenly feeling very guilty for the way she had been treating him.

"Bones, hey. Look at me," Booth said as he pulled away and tipped her chin upwards.

Her glistening eyes swept up to his.

"You needed time…and I was willing to wait," he said as he stroked her chin with his thumb.

Brennan continued to gaze into his eyes…and she had never felt safer in her entire life. She then returned her head to his chest. Precious moments passed with them standing and holding each other. After a short while, Brennan pulled out of the embrace and looked to him again.

There was such love and warmth in her eyes and Booth's heart melted at the sight of her. He couldn't believe she was in his arms.

"Booth?" Brennan said in a questioning tone.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"Do you remember when you were talking about…becoming one with another person?" she asked, her eyes radiant and her voice low.

"Yeah, I do," he replied softly.

She paused as she glanced away and then her eyes met his again.

"I want to feel that…with you," Brennan said, her heart wide open.

Booth brushed back a strand of her hair.

"I think that can be arranged," he replied, raising his left eyebrow as he smirked.

Brennan closed her eyes momentarily and smiled upon reopening them. She reached up and kissed him softly; a quick kiss that sent shockwaves through both their bodies. She pulled away and gazed at him, her eyes boring through him. His eyes locked onto hers and he kissed her again, tugging at her bottom lip with his teeth.

Brennan laughed. "That tickles," she said as she pretended to break away only to have him pull her closer.

"Good," he said as his eyes swept across her face. "Now, how about," he said just before kissing her again, "we get started," and another kiss, "on that project," and another kiss.

Brennan laughed, her nose wrinkling as he kissed her. She kissed him back and a moment later, he pulled away.

"Booth?" she whined, upset at him for breaking the contact.

He didn't say a word, but continued to the bedroom door and then turned to her. His eyes said it all and she was quickly quieted as she walked towards him. The instant she reached him, he pulled her close, connecting his lips with hers. He kissed her again and again and she sunk in as she strained to get closer to him. Their lips brushed feverishly against one another's as each electrical pulse became stronger.

9 or 10 kisses later, Booth broke away, but only long enough to say one thing:

"I don't think you'll be needing that sleeping bag after all"

…before she draped her arms over his shoulders and pushed him through the doorway.


	14. Chapter 14

**You all are the best! Thanks again for reviewing, and now I will bring on the smutterfluff! Please enjoy and just to let you know, there is 1 chapter remaining after this one!**

**CHAPTER 14**

Her lips brushed against his feverishly, again and again. Her fingers threaded through his hair as he took hold of her waist and walked backwards until he knew he was in front of the bed, kissing her the whole time. Each stroke of their lips grew more heated until they were both pressing up against each other, both eager to be closer to one another.

Without leaving his lips, Brennan pulled his t-shirt up, caressing his abs and then his chest as she moved it up towards his head. She broke from the liplock for only a moment to remove the shirt. Her lips returned to his as she reached for the button on his pants.

Booth's hands stopped her and he pulled back.

"Easy there, Bones. You had me undressed first last time…your turn to be first," Booth said, barely above a whisper as he smiled seductively.

A sexy smile crept up one corner of her mouth and she released her grip on his pants.

Booth stepped forward and gazed into her eyes for a moment before he leaned his head in and kissed her deeply, his tongue teasing hers. His hands made their way to the bottom of his Pittsburgh Steelers shirt and he took hold of the hem and traced his fingers along her smooth abdomen, sending another electrical current through her body as her stomach sucked in.

She let out a soft moan between kisses. Slowly, he raised the shirt, all the while brushing his knuckles up against her skin as her lips nibbled against his greedily. They broke apart as he finally pulled the shirt off. The glint of the candle skipped across her body and his eyes took a few moments to soak in the sight before him. He bent down and kissed her abdomen, slowly moving his lips down to her belly button, coming to a stop at the top of her sweatpants.

Her eyes fluttered shut and another pulse sent a tingling sensation throughout her body and she moaned softly again as she threaded her fingers into his hair once again.

He lifted his head and looked up at her. She felt him move and she opened her eyes, lifting her head slightly so she could gaze at him through the soft flicker of the candle. His fingers found the drawstring and they undid the bow she had tied. He smiled softly up at her and she returned it. Hooking his thumbs in her waistband, he slowly pulled her pants down and she shifted her hips.

Quicker than thought, he had shed the rest of his clothes and rejoined her on the bed, lips devouring hers as his body pressed her into the bed. Now all the barriers were gone and their souls were free to love at last.

He reached down and slowly kissed up her neck as they became one.

All of her muscles flexed as her eyes closed and she let out another soft moan.

His lips reached her chin and he lifted his head to look at her. His face hovered just centimeters above hers and she opened her eyes as he set the rhythm. She fell in pace with him as she gazed into the warmth of his eyes. She would never be able to get over that warmth. With her eyes fixed on his, she returned her hand to the back of his head and ran her fingers through his hair, gently tugging his head back.

Another pulse went coursing through his body as she pulled and his eyes closed as he reached down and connected his lips with hers again. He picked up the pace a little as he kissed her deeply again and again.

Her legs squeezed his sides as she kissed him vehemently, her head lifting off of the bed as she clutched his hair, pulling him closer, deeper. She met his lips over and over, her tongue reaching in to stroke his. Her hand grasped onto his back, her nails running down his spine.

He moaned, rearing up and breaking their kiss as incredible sensations raced through his body.

"Do that again," he whispered raggedly, dropping his head to her shoulder.

She smiled and ran her fingernails down his back again. And again, he moaned.

"Oh, God…" he said as he threw his head back, slowing the rhythm.

His head dropped after a moment and his eyes found hers again. Her eyes were sparkling with tears…but he knew they weren't tears of pain or sadness. He stroked her cheek gently with his thumb, all the while slowing the pace.

Her eyes locked with his and she felt the love emanating from him and transferring to her. How could she have doubted him when he had said he was in love with her? One look into his eyes was all it took. And as the thought of someone else having such strong feelings for her sank in, a tear escaped her blue-gray pools. She could not believe that there was another human being who could care so much about her; who could look at her the way he was right now; who could love her so much.

"This is it," she whispered as they shifted as one.

"What?" he asked.

"This is what it's like…to become one," she said as another tear spilled.

"Yes…it is," he replied.

"Have you felt this before?" Brennan asked, a hint of worry in her voice.

"Not like this. Never…ever…like this," he replied, his thumb brushing the tear from her cheek.

She searched his eyes and all she found was love. She smiled softly through her tears.

"This is the most wonderful feeling…in the whole world," she told him, smiling as another tear fell.

As she spoke the words, his heart swelled with adoration. He had never thought that he would be able to love someone so much…but he did love her with every bit of his heart. He smiled down at her ever so softly and then his lips were on hers again. He kissed her deeper than he had before and she reciprocated as she clawed at his back, sending chills up and down his spine.

The tingling began at the spot where they were joined and slowly spread throughout her body until her legs clenched his sides and then suddenly, all of her muscles relaxed. Breathless, she pulled her lips from his for a moment as she took in a few deep breaths, her chest heaving. She rolled her head from one side to the other and then found the center as she smiled.

He smiled back and a few moments later, he reached the extent of his pleasure and shockwaves reverberated throughout his body. Collapsing against her, he kissed her softly before raising his head to gaze at her.

"I love you," she whispered as she looked into the depths of his chocolate eyes.

He had waited for her to say it and now that she had, his heart went soaring and he replied, "I love you, Temperance."

With the snow falling outside, they lay for a long while, both unable to break the gaze that held them together.


	15. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER 15**

Booth's eyes opened slowly. His head was lolling to the left and he turned it to the right to gaze down at what was lying in his arms. She was cuddled into his shoulder, her right arm flung across his midsection and her right hand resting on his chest. A soft noise emitted from her mouth and Booth couldn't help but smile. She hadn't gotten much sleep in the past 48 hours, that he knew. He was pretty sure she hadn't slept the night of his hypothermia and he was so thankful that she was sleeping soundly now. With his left hand, he pulled the sheets up and over her shoulders, kissing her on top of the head as he did. She moved her head and gently squeezed him with her right arm, but she did not wake up. He didn't care if he didn't sleep. He could stay up all night just watching her.

Brennan's eyes fluttered open and she squinted as they adjusted to the dark. A strand of her hair fell across her face and she reached up to swat it away, realizing that something was grasping onto her. She felt his skin and she smiled as she stroked his arm. She was lying on her right side and she could now feel his breath on the back of her neck. His left arm was draped over her and he was snuggled into her back. His left leg was in between both of hers. As she smiled, he shifted and squeezed her gently, pulling her closer. She pressed her back up against him and she moved her head slightly to fit perfectly with his. And she closed her eyes and drifted off again.

The sun cast broken rays through the blinds of the bedroom, falling directly on Brennan's face. She blinked and then squinted at the brightness. His arm was still grasping her protectively, but this time it was moving, his fingers stroking her arm.

"Good morning," he said to the back of her head.

She smiled brightly and shifted from her right side to her left so that she was facing him.

"Good morning," she replied, smiling sweetly.

He now placed his arm around her and rubbed her back as he smiled and stared into her eyes.

"Sleep well?" he asked.

She sighed as she continued to smile. "Better than ever," she replied, wrapping her arm around him and scratching his back.

"Really?" he replied, a small smirk on his face.

She smiled for a few more moments before her eyes rested entirely on his and her expression grew soft.

"Booth?" she questioned.

"Yeah?" he replied.

The small smile returned. "Why didn't we do this a long time ago?" she inquired as her hand ran down his back and her smile grew wider.

Booth laughed as he squeezed her. As his laugh calmed to a smile, he looked her straight in the eyes.

"Like I said before, everything happens eventually," he replied, his eyes beaming at her.

"So…right now is eventually, then?" she questioned, still smiling.

"Yeah. Exactly," he replied, reaching forward and kissing her on the forehead.

She closed her eyes on contact and she sighed. His lips lingered as his left hand caressed her right arm.

"I think I like this 'eventually,'" Brennan said, logically not making any sense, but intuitively, she had never made more sense in her entire life.

"I'm glad you do. Because if I have anything to do with it, 'eventually'…will be lasting forever," Booth replied as he continued to stroke her arm and gaze into her eyes.

Brennan paused for a moment as she searched his eyes yet again…only to find love and warmth as she always did.

"That sounds good," she replied as she placed her hand on his cheek and leaned forward and kissed him on the nose.

"You're really into this nose-kissing thing, aren't you?" he asked her, eyeing her closely.

"Yes, yes I am. So get used to it," she responded, smiling playfully.

"Just as long as you don't neglect the lips…we'll be fine," he told her as he glanced upwards and puckered up.

Smiling still, she gave him a soft sweep of the lips.

"Don't worry," she replied.

A moment later, a phone rang. Brennan realized that it was her cell which was lying on a chair just outside the bedroom door. She started to get up.

"No, leave it, Bones," Booth told her as he pulled her closer.

"It's probably Angela. Trust me, I should get it," Brennan told him as a mischievous grin spread across her face.

Confused but intrigued, he let her go.

She jumped up and ran out of the room and grabbed her phone. The caller ID read "Angela cell."

She jumped back in bed and into Booth's arms before punching the send button.

"I'm in bed with Booth and I don't have time to talk," she informed her friend as she smiled playfully at Booth, who returned the smirk. "Hello?" Brennan said after there was no response. All she heard was a loud squeal followed by a "sweetie!" "Bye, Ang."

And with that, she dropped her phone as Booth grabbed her and pulled her lips to his.

He broke away a few moments later.

"You're mine now, you know that, right?" he asked her, smiling widely.

"I am not a possession, Booth," she replied, mocking offense.

"You know what I mean," he replied.

She smiled softly. "Yes, yes I do."

And so they lay with their eyes locked and their arms entwined, each of their hearts now complete and each of them thinking that this state of "eventually" was the best thing in the world.


End file.
